Machi and YunYun
by riterandreader
Summary: The Sohma curse has been lifted. It’s almost time for graduation. Will Yuki and Machi finally realize their feelings for each other before then?I’m making it up as I go along, so there’s not really a plot to it. Basically a romance.
1. Chapter 1

BRIEF SUMMARY – the Sohma curse has been lifted. It's almost time for graduation. Will Yuki and Machi finally realize their feelings for each other before then?

I'm making it up as I go along, so there's not really a plot to it.

DISCLAIMER – I do not own the characters of Fruits Basket. It belongs to Natsuki Takaya.

**Chapter 1**

It was over! Finally over.

Yuki woke up in the morning. As he got out of bed, and looked out the window the cold morning, the sky never seemed as blue as it did that day. He felt so strange – so light! He shook his arms out, experimentally. His whole body felt so strange.

The curse was gone – Honda-san did it. She broke the Curse – all at a heavy cost, of course. Only the biggest of sacrifices and struggles could have broken it, and nothing less.

Yuki slowly put on his school uniform. In a week he would be graduating from school. Two different kinds of liberty, both at the same time seemed to make Yuki feel light-headed.

He went down stairs to find that Honda-san had already made breakfast for everyone. Like always. Yet today felt different. Kyo was also downstairs, finishing up his training of the day, and as he entered the house, looked at Tohru adoringly. But unlike before, he did it with open candor, and Tohru returned the gaze.

Yuki felt slightly uncomfortable being amongst the two who were so obviously in love. Therefore he ate his breakfast as fast as he could, said a quick "bye" to the oblivious couple – Shigure was still sleeping that morning – and went to school. He had to go early for another student council meeting, anyway.

As he entered the school building, Yuki realized it would be one of the last times he went to the student council meetings; as strange as they all were, Yuki found that he really enjoyed spending time with the council members and being part of the team.

He could hear the clattering and shouting from down the hall before he even entered the room. Yuki pushed open the door cautiously, and then saw that Kimi and Manabe were at it.

"But Kimi wants to decorate the student council room with paper flowers," the girl pouted her lips, and innocently fluttered her eyelashes. "Yun-Yun and every one will be graduating soon, and Kimi wanted to make it all pretty here."

Manabe shook his head furiously. "No! We are the School Defense Force! There shall be _no _paper flowers in our head-quarters!"

Kimi saw Yun-Yun enter and her face lit up. "Ah!" she cried, and began pleading for Yun-Yun to take her side. "Don't you think it would be much better if Kimi put flowers around the room, Yun-Yun?" she asked. Yuki kindly smiled back at her.

"Nah-uh! I say we put," Manabe went into the classic 'victory sign' pose, "Chinese fireworks in here and light them up on graduation day!"

Everyone looked at him, dumbstruck. "…What?" They all asked at the same time.

Then Yuki put his fingers up to his forehead and started laughing.

Now everyone turned to look at Yuki curiously. Could it have been that their class president had finally gone mad?

Finally he let out a "Do whatever you wish; it's the end of the year any way", walked over and sat down at his desk. After another dumbstruck silence, Kimi and Manabe continued to bicker in the background.

"Flowers!"

"No – fireworks!"

"Flowers!"

"Yun-Yun would like fireworks instead!"

"YOU BOTH ARE STUPID, HAVEN'T YOU GOT WORK TO DO!" screamed Naohito, who had just entered the room (he had left to make some copies for the student council).

Yuki gave a nostalgic sigh. He'd miss days like these. Then Yuki turned over and saw Machi was staring at him. Being caught in the act Machi blushed a furious deep red. Yuki gave a silent chuckle at that, and asked, "So what are you going to do next year, Machi?"

"I don't know," she shrugged; her red face was starting to resume its normalcy.Too bad, Yuki thought, because she looked cute when she blushed. He caught his thought in surprise, but then gave himself a mental shake. He couldn't afford to be attracted to Machi.

_Why not?_ a corner of his brain nagged at him. The curse was broken, wasn't it? He cleared his throat and asked, "But aren't you going for student council again next year?"

Machi gave another small shrug in response. "I don't think it would be the kind of thing for me."

Yuki was surprised. "But you're a great treasurer!" he cried.

Machi's eyes went wide, and she blushed again, not looking up at Yuki.

"I'd better get to class," she suddenly said, and got up.

Yuki stood up too. "Do you want me to walk you to your class?" he asked her.

Machi silently shook her head, pushed passed him, and left.

"So, Yun-Yun," said Manabe threw his arm around Yuki's neck. "Off to go patrolling the hallways for perpetrators?"

Yuki felt his blood pressure starting to rise, but then said, "Haven't we got to go to class?"

Manabe flapped his hand the air. "Class? Who needs class – I ditch all the time anyway"

_It's a wonder you're still going to graduate,_ Yuki thought.

"After all: we are THE SCHOOL DEFENSE FORCE!" cheered Manabe.

_Oh brother_, Yuki thought with gloom. _There he goes again_. "I'm leaving for class," Yuki said, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

"What!" asked Manabe, hands on his cheeks. "Noo! You can't possibly! I'll be so lonely, Yun-Yun!" he started crying.

Yuki just glowered, and with a growl, said, "I'm leaving."

"Ah, but of course," said Manabe, drying of his tears; with a glint in his eye, he said, "_Princesses _always follow the school rules – I DIDN'T MEAN IT!" He cried when Yuki's arm shot out, and he began to strangle Manabe.

He hacked and coughed once Yuki let go of his vise grip around his throat. He looked up, and seeing that Yuki had left, he raced after him. "Hey! Wait for me! Hey! Yuki-Yuuuuuuuun!"

* * *

Machi sat in her classroom, pondering things over. Why did Yuki always want to talk to her? It all started when he asked her what her favorite color was. She didn't know what to answer him back then. Still, he kept being attentive towards her, even if the others forgot she was even in the room.

She hadn't noticed that class was over. When she looked up and saw that no one else was in the classroom, Machi panicked and stood up, scrambling to get her backpack, and raced out the door to her next class.

* * *

Manabe stretched his arms behind his head. "Ah!" he said, "School is finally over. Studying is so boring," he observed.

"Yun-Yun!" waved Kimi and ran over to them, dragging an angry looking Naohito with her. "Yun-Yun," she said, when she came up to them. "Kimi and Naohito were just going to go to the movies now that school is over -"

" – who the hell said I _agreed_!" cried Nao. "I was _dragged _along by her! She decided it all herself!"

"_You_ _two_ are going to the movies?" Manabe asked thoughtfully.

"Well, you see, Kimi broke up with her latest boyfriend, but she still wants to see the movie she bought the ticket for, so Nao is going to take her instead!" she smiled.

"No way!" Nao cried. "Only when hell freezes over!"

"Unless Yun-Yun would like to see it with Kimi?" She brought her face close to his, and asked sweetly.

"Uh-" Yuki blushed. He really didn't want to see it with her, but didn't know how to tell Kimi.

"Hey! What about _me_?" asked Manabe angrily.

Kimi thought about it for a second. Then she said, "Nah, I'd still rather see it with Yun-Yun."

Nao laughed at the expression on Manabe's face, but then Manabe smiled. "Hey, Machi!" he called her, waving his hands wildly in the air. "Over here, Machi!"

They all turned to look at Machi, who began blushing. Her brother was causing such a scene that everyone else around them was looking at her too.

"What are you doing, you stupid idiot?" she said as soon as she walked over to them. "They can see you all the way from China with you waving like that!" She really wanted to conk her brother on the head.

Yuki snickered. Manabe frowned, and then glared at Yuki. "Would _you_ like to come with us to the movie?" asked her brother. That startled Machi – she looked down, and blushed again.

"Why did you ask _her_?" Nao demanded, he just wanted to go home, but they were all making a big party about this whole movie business. The sooner he left the better.

"Well, I had to," Manabe said, placing his hands on his hips, "before Yuki did, of course."

The two people in question turned red.

"Why you little-!" Yuki shouted.

"Such an idiot!" Machi yelled. Furious, both were about to kill Manabe.

"Ah!" Manabe curled in fetal position, squatting down on the ground, anticipating the blows.

"Wait! Naohito!" Kimi cried.

Everyone stopped what they were doing, and turned to look at Nao.

_Damnit!_ Nao thought; he had just being trying to sneak away while everyone was distracted by Manabe and his stupidity.

"Aww! Don't tell Kimi you were trying to run away, now, where you Nao?" wailed Kimi.

Nao glowered, and was sullen.

"Come on! Kimi thinks we're going to be _la-ate_ if we don't hurry up!" She grabbed Nao's arm, and started dragging him in the direction of theater. After a moment's pause, Yuki and Manabe looked at each other, and then followed the two of them. Machi was about to turn and leave, but Yuki turned and smiled at her, "Come on, Machi. It sounds like fun." So Machi decided to come along – for now.

That's how the student council ended up going to the movies after school that day.

"Stop pulling my arm so hard, Kimi!"

"Wah! But I want to make sure you don't escape!"

"As a member of the School Defense Force, I will not tolerate this, Kimi!"

"Shut up! I don't want your help Manabe!"

"What are you laughing at, Yuki!"

TO BE CONTINUED

A/N – Read and review!


	2. The Movies

A/N: YAY! I _finally_ updated! I'm so sorry, and I _sincerely_ apologize for not writing this sooner. It's the theater scene. And I hope (hope, hope, _hope_!) that I shall update more regularly now. Forgive me. (gives a bow in shame).

DISCLAIMER: I do not own fruits basket, or any of the characters from it.

**Chapter 2**

"Yuki-kun must sit next to Kimi," Kimi started singing. "Right Yuki-kun?" she asked.

"Aw! What about _me_, Yun-Yun?" Kakeru Manabe said, heart-broken tears sparkling in his eyes.

"No! Yun-Yun must not listen to him!" Kimi pleaded.

"You're just jealous because our president likes me better," Manabe stuck his tongue out.

Naohito rubbed his temples painfully.

"Uh, so what movie are we going to see anyway?" Yuki asked conversationally on the metro-ride over to the main city where the theater was, ignoring the squabble and trying to change the topic.

"Oh that?" Kimi smiled dazzlingly. "It's called _Summer Love on a Deserted Island_."

No one said anything, but they blinked, each with a nervous sweat-drop.

_It sounds one of Shigure's books turned into a movie! _Yuki thought, in horror.

_It sounds stupid,_ thought Naohito, angrily.

_I'm hungry_, thought Manabe, patting his stomach. He had skipped breakfast.

Machi didn't think anything at all; she was instead reading the poster advertising the movie inside the train.

"Summer may have gone, but the memories of those days and nights will last forever…" (A/N: Kind of like that book Shigure wrote that was mentioned in Vol. 2. And, Yuki was right although he doesn't realize it: the movie _is_ actually one of Shigure's books adapted into a movie).

As they waited in line at the theater Kimi ended up flirting with three other guys and went to sit by them instead. "Kimi won't be very far. Kimi will be right over there," she pointed at the far top left corner of the cinema, waved good-bye to them, and disappeared.

Now it was just the four of them.

Manabe had bought a whole tray of junk food and sweets with him, and as soon as he sat down, began to obnoxiously munch on them. "Oo mah sogh?" he offered the other three, his mouth filled with popcorn.

Yuki and Machi shook their heads politely to decline, and Naohito glowered at him, so Kekareu gave a shrug and continued to chomp down contently.

10 minutes into the movie, Naohito, bored and hating even being there, stood up, claiming he had to go to the bathroom He left, and didn't come back.

"You know, she's going to be eaten by the shark" Kekeru (A/N – I'm going to use Kekeru and Manabe interchangeably, if it won't bother you guys too much) said loudly.

The person behind them gave an annoyed, "_Shhh_!"

After a moment of silence, Yuki turned and looked at Manabe. "You've seen this movie before?" he asked in a whisper.

"Yup," Kakeru sighed, bored. "Just last weekend."

Yuki stared at him.

"Don't look so surprised," Machi whispered to him, which startled Yuki, and then made him smile.

"Yeah. I should have known this was Manabe's kind of movie."

"Hey!" cried Kekeru out loud.

Four people by them hissed, "_Shhh_!"

Yuki chuckled silently under his breath, trying not to make noise.

* * *

The movie progressed for a while without anybody saying anything. The hero and heroine managed to survive a shipwreck in shark-infested waters of the South Pacific only to be stranded on – surprise, surprise – a deserted island.

After a particularly intense scene between the two potential lovers, Kekeru burst out pointing at the screen, saying, "They're not going to Do It yet!"

Their whole row glared at Kekeru, and said, "_Shh_!"

"What?" he said aloud in defense, throwing his hands up in the air. "They're gonna Do It anyway on the day before they're saved!"

The whole theater hissed, "_SHH!_" angrily. A guy in the back isle cried, "Aw, man!" got up, and left the theater.

A few seconds later, one of the theater ushers came over waving a flashlight, grabbed Kekeru by the shirt, and ended up throwing him out of the theater.

Kekeru tried once to sneak back in to the cinema, only to be kicked out once more.

So only Yuki and Machi were left to watch the last 30 minutes of the movie.

Machi started to feel a little shy all of a sudden, being alone with Yuki in the theater. Worst of all, much to her embarrassment, Yuki seemed perfectly fine about it.

Oh, why'd she ever decide to come to see this stupid movie? She hadn't even wanted to see it. Now that it was just the two of them, it felt too much like it was a date.

The theater was dark, so no one saw her face turning radish-red. But when her head started spinning dizzy with nervousness until she felt sick, that caught Yuki's attention. Turning to her, "Are you alright?" he asked with concern.

"I'm fine," she managed to say, only to end up feeling worse.

Yuki took hold of her upper arm, and helped her to her feet. "Come on, let's get out of here," he said. "You need some fresh air."

As soon as they stepped out of the building, they found Kekeru sitting on the sidewalk, waiting for them. "Is the movie over?" he asked as he stood up.

Yuki shook his head, "No, but she wasn't feeling well, so we came out doors."

Kekeru pushed Yuki aside and dramatically put his arm around his sister's shoulders. "What did you do to her, Yun-Yun!" he demanded. "You drugged her drink didn't you, you rapist sicko!"

"I didn't _have_ a drink, you moron," Machi grumbled.

"You see! She's already having delusions now!" he cried.

"But she really didn't have a drink," Yuki told him, mildly surprised at Kekeru's outburst.

Despite their argument, it was best decided to get Machi home.

Yuki, who had only been to Mahci's house once before wasn't surprised to see it was still in a state of chaos.

"Get plenty of rest," Yuki told her kindly. "And don't strain yourself too much."

Machi gave a small smile and a bow of thanks to him.

"Yeah, and don't take any drinks from deviant rapist like Yuki-kun!" Manabe added.

"I _AM NOT A DEVIANT RAPIST!_" Yuki finally yelled back.

"Says who?" Mange challenged.

"Says _me_, that's who!"

"And why should I believe you?" Manabe turned away, and announced coolly.

"Because a sexual deviant wouldn't do _this_!"

"Ow! My nose! Yun-Yun broke my nose! You are so _mean_, Yun-Yun!" Kekeru wailed, covering his nose.

Machi started laughing, but she closed the door so the two of them wouldn't see that she was.


	3. Ayamesan

A/N: YAY! Thank you for the reviews! And someone pointed out (thank you!) that I was spelling Manabe's first name wrong (it was spelled Kakeru). I shall fix this, I promise.

This chapter doesn't have much Yuki/Machi stuff except for the beginning. But next chapter we'll see Machi again.

**Ayame-San**

"Yuki-kun, are you all right?" Tohru looked at him with some concern as she set the table for dinner.

"Yeah – yeah, I guess I'm all right," he told her, running his hands over his face, wearily, but managed to smile up at her. 'Thank you for your concern, Honda-san."

Despite his words, Tohru noticed the worried expression didn't leave Yuki-kun's face.

He didn't talk much during dinner with the family either. "I think I'm going to bed now," he announced, and rose from the table.

Kyo looked at Tohru in wonder. "What's up with him?"

Tohru looked down sadly, "I don't know. He was like this since he came home."

"Oh, it's _probably_ the moroseness of graduating catching up with him," Shigure sighed nostalgically. "The memories…"

Kyo looked at Shigure, half grumpy, half annoyed. "The hell -? It's not like _you're _graduating!" He bellowed.

"Yes, but the thought of you three doing so brings back so many fond memories," Shigure sighed, dramatically. "Like when Ayame and I would run through the girl's locker room -"

"Augh! HELL no! Not one of your damn high school stories!"

"Kyo, how very cruel! But Tohru would like to hear them, wouldn't you Tohru?"

"I – eh, that is, eh!"

"Don't drag her into this, you damn dog!"

"But I'm not a dog any more, remember Kyo-kitchni!"

"You sure as hell act like one though! AND DON'T CALL ME THAT! Stupid Ayame and his nicknames!"

As this fight was going on, however, it was all background noise to Yuki, who lay down in his bed, thinking.

Why couldn't he stop worrying about Machi? Was she alright? She seemed so faint when he helped her up and took her outside. Why did this have to happen the on the day before the weekend? If they'd only gone to the movies during the middle of the week, he would have seen her at school the next day to make sure she was okay.

The weekend never had managed to seem so long. He had been tempted to call her, go to her house. But he couldn't do that. He could have called Kakeru and ask him, but he thought of how annoying that phone call would go, and wasn't in the mood to put up with, which made that out of the question.

So the best thing – make that, the _only_ thing – Yuki could do was wait agitatedly until Monday came around.

* * *

Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending how you look at it, the weekend didn't pass by _uneventfully_.

"Ayame!" Shigure-san greeted his long-time best friend as he walked in the doorway.

"Alas, Shigure, my love. I have not a moment to lose – and every second in your company makes me more reluctant to leave you. But I must see my brother Yuki this instant! Yuki, it's your brother!"

Yuki opened his room door sleepily, and was met with a sight that made him want to go back to bed.

Too late.

"Yuki, your elder brother is here!" Ayame came up to him, and in one bound hugged his brother. "I know how tragic the long weeks and months since I talked to you has been, but I'm here now! Not to worry, I shall never part from you once again, you poor soul!"

"Megh Goh," Yuki murmured angrily, while Ayame held on to him tight.

"Eh? What was that, Yuki?" he pulled his brother away at arm's length.

"I said, 'Let go'," Yuki glowered.

Ayame dropped his arms from Yuki, but only to say, "Thank goodness you're alright! I was so worried about you! I didn't know how many sunrises and sunsets have passed until I could see you again!"

"Augh!" Yuki said in frustration, "I saw you only two weeks ago, and you live not even five miles from here! You could see me any time you wanted!" Even though Yuki wished that he wouldn't – visit him any time, that is. "So why'd you come to see me?" he sighed, surrendering.

"Ah yes!" Ayame smiled happily, he began walking around in the room. "It has come to my notice that you, dearest Yuki, are going to graduate soon. Why, I remember when I was about to graduate high school: Haa-san, Shigure, and I had so much fun. Why – the party we threw at the end of graduation was an urban legend for years to come! I –"

"Is there a point to all of this?" Yuki interrupted him.

"What? Oh. Ah yes!" Ayame recollected. "And so, I know that you haven't decided yet what you are planning on doing after high school, so I decided for you," he rummaged through the bag he was carrying, and pulled out from the bag he had next to him a blue jacket. "Ta-da!" The back of the jacket was embroidered lavishly with the words, "Apprentice".

Yuki could only stare at gift, annoyed. "What is it?" he asked, but thought, _do I really want to know_?

"It's you're new Apprentice jacket! Which you will wear of course while you work along side your brother in his store, sewing and creating, and learning the pure wonder of my art!" he announced, tears in his eyes.

Yuki nearly fell over at this speech.

"Wah – You told you I wanted to be your apprentice!" Yuki shouted angrily.

Then he saw Shigure passing, whistling, innocently.

"Don't blame Shii-san," Ayame put his arm around Yuki, who was still shooting daggers at the direction Shigure disappeared to. "It was I who protested you wouldn't like it, but Shii-san convinced me that you should like to have something to preoccupy you while you are still deciding what you want to do in life."

Yuki stopped, and blinked in surprise at Shigure's thoughtfulness.

"Of course he also said that once you moved out, he wanted to turn your bedroom into his new fitness lounge."

"Of course he did," Yuki muttered, knowing he shouldn't have expected anything close to kindness from Shigure, without a double motive in it.

"Very well, Yuki. I have to go. Mine can't watch the store all by her self, you know. Good-bye, sweet Yuki," he gave his brother another suffocating hug, and then released him. "Until we meet again!"

And Ayame was out the door.

Yuki sat down to digest what just happened. There was no way he was going to be his brother's apprentice, that one thing was for sure. But he thought about it.

It could be a way to spend more time with his brother. But that also had its pit falls. Yuki didn't know if he could take being in his brother's presence for more than six hours a day, five days a week.

"Ah, Yuki-kun!" Tohru came rushing inside. "Was Ayame-san just here? Shigure said he was."

"Yes," Yuki smiled kindly at her. "But he left already; you just missed him."

"Oh," she frowned. "Why was he here? Maybe he would have liked something to eat?"

"No, he seemed in a hurry," Yuki told her, and then showed Honda-san the shirt, and told her what his brother wanted him to do.

"How wonderful!" Tohru smiled excitedly at Yuki. "That seems like so much fun!"

"I don't know," Yuki said thoughtfully. "I don't know if I would like it."

"You said you wanted to try new things," Tohru smiled. "Maybe here's another chance?"

Yuki smiled, nodded, and told her he'd think about it, and Tohru seemed happy with that.


	4. Uh Oh

A/N – Thank you all for the reviews! Ack! I am horrible with updating, I apologize once more. And I'm sorry, I spelled Kyonkichi wrong. But I ask for your forgiveness, as I'm sure you all are forgiving people… Right? ;;

**Uh-Oh**

Yuki anticipated Monday, and in fact woke up earlier than the occasion warranted. This surprised Honda-san, who was doing laundry, and hadn't made breakfast yet.

"Um – ah – would you like me to whip up something fast for you, Yuki-kun?" she said, panicking, nearly dropping her basket of freshly folded laundry in anxiousness.

"No, no, that's alright," Yuki-kun chuckled, and grabbed the basket before it tumbled to the floor. "I just wanted to go to school early, that's all."

Tohru was relieved to see that Yuki-kun seemed in a better mood than before, and smiled to herself.

"That's nice," she beamed up at him. "So no student council meeting today?"

Yuki frowned in thought. "No. Actually, I was hoping I could see my friend, who seemed ill last time we talked, and I wanted to see if she was okay."

"Uwah!" That surprised Tohru, and she nearly dropped the laundry down again – this time out of concern. "That's horrible!" she said anxiously. Yuki took the basket out of her hands, "Maybe I'd better take that," he laughed.

"Oh, er, right," she laughed too, but then frowned. "Is she alright?"

"I don't know," Yuki said with some trepidation.

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Yuki got to school early, and waited in the student council office, where the members sometimes came in the morning. What was Machi's first class? He angrily realized that he didn't know. But then again, why should he know? It's not like they were in the same grade, or had the same classes.

He glanced at his watch, anticipating. Where was she?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Machi heard the alarm go off. She hit the snooze, and rolled over on her bed…

It buzzed again. She muttered, and reached for it once more…

The third time, she angrily opened one eye, "UWAH!" she scrambled out of bed, and looked for her uniform.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yuki finally decided to wait in front of the school's main entrance. Sure, there were many ways people came to school, and he was taking his chances by waiting there – she might come from the back of the other side of the school – but he was running out of ideas.

People walking pasted him saw the concerned look on the class Prince's face. They whispered amongst themselves: what was wrong with Prince Yuki?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Machi dashed out of her house – almost forgetting to lock the front door on her way out, and cut across nieghboring lawns, panting, gasping for breath.

Did she have her backpack? Yes, it was on her shoulders. Did she have her homework? Machi wasn't sure, but she sincerely hoped so.

"Machi!"

A voice made her skid to a grinding halt. She nearly fell flat on her face.

"Are you all right, Machi?"

She looked left and right, searching for where the voice came from. Finally, she glanced up to see Yuki looking down at her, with a deeply concerned look on his face.

She blushed, and said, "What are you doing? We're going to be late!" She dashed through the hallway, and hurried along.

Yuki gave a small laugh.

Machi whirled around, surprised – unsure to be angry with indignation, or blink with bewilderment. Yuki saw the look on Machi's face, and didn't want to laugh again, so he said with a strangled voice, "Let's get to class."

"What's so funny?" she asked grumpily, dashing through the corridors with him. Why was he laughing at a moment like this?

"Nothing is funny," he assured her. "I feel relieved, that's all."

"Well feel relieved some other time," she uttered, and then turned the corner. She stopped hesitantly at the second doorway. "See you later, Yuki," she said after some deliberation, and disappeared inside the classroom.

Yuki smiled and waved, and then ran to his own class.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Yun-Yun is _happy_ today," Kakeru sang loudly when they entered the student council room after school.

Yuki, as the song had been grating on his nerves for the past hour or so, was actually not "happy" but rather now aggravated. "WOULD YOU GIVE IT A REST?" he shouted.

"The song bothering you, Yuki?" he asked in astonishment, as though realizing this for the first time.

"YES," Yuki replied, gnashing his teeth together.

"Oh," he said shortly. "Okay," Kakeru gave him the thumb's up, but before Yuki could exhale with relief, Kakeru began with, "Yuki doesn't like the songs I _sing_!"

"Augh! Would you _stop_ with that racket!" Yuki covered his ears, shooting daggers in Manabe's direction with his eyes. Alas, much to Yuki's dismay, oblivious Kakeru was coming in for the chorus, "And _Yuuuuki-kuuun_ won't – YAUGH!"

Kakeru fell to the floor in pain rubbing his head, while Kimi put her bamboo stick away. "Kimi can't concentrate on the decorations with Kakeru's singing," she said.

Machi, Yuki, and Kakeru – laying on the ground - looked up to see what Kimi did to the student council office. "What the he-?" Naohito appeared at that moment. "GAH! WHAT DID YOU DO, WOMAN!" he demanded.

Kimi put her finger to her dimple cutely, and winked, "I made it all pretty for graduation, of course."

They looked like they entered a traditional Japanese hot spring.

Kimi twirled around and finished putting the last stick of bamboo on the bamboo-wall she made around each of the desks.

"Since Kimi and Manabe couldn't agree on fireworks or flowers, Kimi made it into a hot-springs theme."

There was a steam-making machine in the middle of the room, and flowers, rocks, and potted plants around.

Yuki started feeling hot, even in his school's summer uniform.

"Kimi, how much did you spend on all of this?" Yuki had to ask, chokingly.

"Not to worry!" she smile-shrugged. "Kimi used the money from the student council's treasury!"

"You – you used the money from the school treasury?" Yuki asked a bit shakily, not sure if he heard correctly.

"Mm-hmm," she smiled.

Just then Machi walked into the room. Everyone turned to look at her.

"What?" she asked -she didn't know what was going on.


End file.
